The Greek Black Metal icons are celebrating their 35th year as a band with their 14th album. The album's title translates to "Before Christ" and is a tribute to the pagan religions that preceded Christianity. There is a mid-tempo triumphant pulse that resonates in these songs and feels closer to "pagan metal" than Black Metal. This is not a surprise as their sound has been heading in this direction for some time. The vocals are proclaimed with more of a dramatic command, that just growled or screamed. The sung vocals layered in places around this continue to be an effective tool for building the epic nature of these songs. Epic is a word that is overused when it comes to metal, but these guys are one of the few bands these days where it is an accurate description of what they do rather than just being a figure of speech.
The bass becomes the prominent backbone of "The Sixth Day" which provides a dynamic shift. The guitars harmonize melodies around this driving rumble. Sakis' vocals take on a little more of a scowl on this one as well. The drums are also another high light as their accents switch things up as the song progresses. The first song that feels black metal is " La Lettera Del Diavolo". The blast beat that runs under it is juxtaposed by more staccato orchestration. It ebbs down in its dynamics and allows for more melodic elements to work their way into its layers. "the Farewell" chugs along a more traditional heavy metal ground, with the guitar riffs compensating for the vocals. The song has all the punches in all the right places to serve as a testament to their songwriting talents. The song pulses off the same groove for the duration but it's the way the orchestrated sounds are worked in that makes it something more.
"Pix Lax Dax" finds them chugging down a similar road as the previous song. The double bass perhaps laid on thicker here. The choral vocals accent things with a more flowing purpose. In some ways "Pretty World, Pretty Dies" breaks from the formula that has been dominant more often than not with this album. It does still ride the feeling of riding triumphantly off from another victory. "Yggdrasil" works off a greater tension. The chorus emulates that of Viking-drinking songs with less of the frolicking feel that most folk metal defaults to. Most of the song's dynamic flow lies in the hands of their drummer. 'Saorise" is another exploration of a building storm of tension, being conveyed before battle explodes. There is a little more of an Iron Maiden-like feel to how it gallops. It is however a little brighter and hopeful in tone than what black metal should do. I will give this album a 9. These guys continue to perfect what they do that grows more massive in scope with each album.
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